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Title:
The Lost Baroness

Author:
Judith B. Glad

Published By:
Awe-Struck Ebooks

ISBN:
1-58749-410-8

Release Date:
N/A

Format:
Electonic

This is the sixth installment in Judith B.Glad’s Behind The Range series of historical novels-generational we used to call them in the print biz back in New York. The first novel in the series The Queen of Cherry Vale introduced us to the Lachlan clan, highlighting the relationship between Emmet Lachlan and Hattie Rommel. This book continues the tale of the Lachlan family tree. Lost Baroness. Frontiersman Buff Mclachlan promises his dying friend Anders Thorssen that he will find his long-lost sister.

Buff tracks down Siri Trogen, a maid at an Astoria, Oregon hotel, but unbeknownst to both of them, another man, the evil Jaeger wants to find her, too and kill her. Siri works at the Pacific Western Hotel as a maid. Her only friend is co-worker Carleen, a slutty redhead with a heart of gold. After some careful detective work, he tracks her down at the hotel, and befriends her. They join forces to find her children Rolf and Rosel, who have been hidden by her mother-in-law.

She’s suffered multiple tragedies in her life-left a widow after a short marriage, her mother-in-law has absconded with her two children, leaving her to fend for herself. The beginning of her life was no better, as she was kidnapped from her wealthy Swedish family while they were on vacation in the Dutch West Indies and taken on a harrowing voyage to the Pacific Northwest.

The Oregon coast is an unusual setting for a romance, but Ms. Glad uses this to her advantage. It’s very easy to create a romance in the tropics or a similarly exotic locale. In The Lost Baroness, the author casts against type and succeeds admirably. The only weak points are the scenes with villain Jaeger, which are short and somewhat predictable. They remind us he’s there, he’s after Siri, and he’s nasty, but we get virtually no other information in most of the scenes about him.

The love affair is slow paced with a lot of wondering and hoping by both hero and heroine. The style is reminiscent of old-school historicals that concentrate more on the emotions and thoughts of the lovers and less time on the physical aspect of courtship. There is some descriptive lovemaking in this latest Judith Glads story. Scenes scattered throughout The Lost Baroness, and while they are explicit, they are anchored in reality. The Lost Baroness is a thoroughly researched, emotional novel that avoids hyperbole and expands the concept of a "Western" romance.

Reviewed by: Jade